Laura Davis

  • Home
  • About
    • Books
  • Online Classes
  • Prompts
    • Writer’s Journey Roadmap
  • Writing Retreats
  • Blog
    • Laura’s Blog
    • The Virtual Vacation
    • Featured Students
  • Contact
  • My Account

Sign up to hear from Laura today and receive the Writer's Journey Roadmap.
Free writing prompts and inspiration sent to your inbox every week.

Reasons to Join Me in Bali #6: There’s No One on Earth Like the Balinese . . .

February 28, 2016 By Laura Davis No Comments - Read & Respond

untitled-0594

Travel Writing Tip #6: The twin pillars of travel writing are people and place.

Aside from the topography, the beautiful rice fields, the incredibly fresh food, the staggering art work, one of the things I love most about Bali are the Balinese people themselves.

Every opportunity I had to meet a local person and learn about his or her life was like unwrapping a beautiful gift. I loved learning about their culture, their families, and their way of life. And they were generous and gracious in opening their lives and hearts to us.

As a writer, I loved the opportunity to tell their stories and share some of their joys and challenges. Because one of our guides, Made Surya is Balilnese, and yet lives half the year in the US, we had an inside window into their world.

Here are just some of the amazing people I’ve met in Bali:

This is young Ketut, one of the wonderful guides who led us on an excursion through rice fields, coffee plantations and nutmeg farms on the third leg of our trip. He could tell us all about the history of his people and rice farming methods. Then when his cell phone rang in the middle of a rice field, the ring tone was The Hotel California. That’s exactly the kind of juxtaposition between ancient and modern you run into all the time in Bali.

neice and nephew

These are Surya’s niece and nephew. We met them while having lunch at his family’s 400 year old compound. Did you know that the Balinese assume that every child is born an artist? The only question is what kind of art they’re going to do. Can you imagine what it would be like to grow up in a culture like that?

cow herder

This man was a cowherd I met and spoke to in a gorgeous rice field. Even though we didn’t share a language, we shared a real communication together.

Come to Bali with us, and you, too, can get to know some of the kindest, most generous people on earth.

Join me in Bali next summer!

July 16-31, 2016

Learn more 

In the spirit of adventure,

davis_sig-2

 

 

The Writer’s Journey

P.S. If you’d like to read about one of my prior trips to Bali, you can read my Virtual Vacation posts here.

Filed Under: Bali Reasons, Blog Tagged With: Bali, travel, writing retreat

« Previous Post: Reasons to Join Me in Bali #5: Visiting a 400-Year-Old Family Compound
Next Post: Greece: Take A Risk With Olives »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More Featured Students?

For years, I’ve been showcasing the work of one of my students in my monthly newsletter and here on my site. If you’d like to see a complete list of the students I’ve published, with links to their work, you can find it in the Featured Student Archives. Just click the link below.

Featured Students

What is the The Writer’s Journey Roadmap?

I send out inspiring quotes and provocative writing prompts via email Tuesday. You can collect them for their own use—or you can post your writing online and enter into dialogue and conversation with a very supportive group of writers who have made this part of their weekly writing practice.

I invite you to become part of my brilliant, supportive, intimate, honest, inspiring free online community.

I hope to see you up on the Roadmap soon!

First time visitor? Click here to learn about our community.

Like this Virtual Vacation?

You can also read about Laura’s travels to:

Peru 2017

In which Laura and Karyn and 18 writers explore Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley of Peru.

Serbia 2017

In which Laura leads a workshop at the Incest Trauma Center.

Greece 2016

In which Laura explores the wonders of Crete and Santorini with a wide-eyed group of Write, Travel, Transform adventurers.

Vietnam 2015/16

In which Laura, who grew up during the Vietnam War, goes to Southeast Asia and finds out what Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia are really like today.

Commonweal 2015

A journey toward healing loss and grief in a magnificent Northern California setting.

Scotland 2015

In which Laura returns to Scotland with a new group for another jaunt through the wonders of the Scottish Highlands.

Scotland 2013

In which Laura attends the Edinburgh theatre festival and leads 14 writers to a magical retreat in the highlands of Northern Scotland.

Bali 2013

In which Laura visits Australia, and spends three weeks diving, exploring, and teaching in three regions of Bali.

Florida 2014

A journey into old age in America in which Laura brings her 86-year-old mother to Florida so she can see her last surviving sister one final time.

Mexico 2014

In which Laura attends the San Miguel Writer’s Conference and explores the artistic towns around Patzcuaro.

About Laura Davis

In the course of my career as a communicator, I have also worked as a columnist, talk show host, radio reporter, radio producer, blogger, editor, and speaker. Words have always been at the core of my work and my self-expression. Read More . . .

Photo taken by Jason Ritchey

Tags

adventure Aging Parents Alzheimer’s Bali cancer Commonweal creative writing creativity dementia Ellen Bass emp empty nest entrepreneur featured writers greece Laura's stories Laura's wisdom marketing memoir mexico Mother-Daughter parenting teenagers poetry reconciliation retreats sandwich generation Scotland spirituality teaching travel travel adventure Vietnam write travel transform writing practice writing retreat writing tips writing workshop

What People Are Saying About Laura Davis:

[shtmlslider name='shslider_options']

Retreating with Laura: Julie Sheehan

Julie Sheehan

For many years I put off my dream of writing and traveling. I told myself the kids were too little, my husband could never survive without me, that I couldn't possibly be so selfish. I couldn't imagine realistically stepping out of all of my responsibilities and roles. Then I started attending Laura’s summer retreat at Commonweal in northern California and that became an annual gift to myself for the next three years.

When the opportunity to travel with Laura internationally came up, my Land of Later mentality said I could never pull it off. But when my friend got cancer at age 39, I decided to stop taking life and it's endless opportunities to grow, live, nurture and explore myself for granted.

My children were 6 and 9 when I began allowing myself the luxurious pleasure of taking 10 days to two weeks each year to travel abroad with Laura, to spend time with like minded, soul searching people who share a passion for living and writing, to have all my meals prepared for me, to have the space and freedom to stretch out of my cage and check in with who I am, what I want, and how best to get there.

Laura is a skilled and nurturing teacher who encourages her students to take risks, to grow as human beings, and to be vulnerable. She has provided me with a forum where I can gain all my CEUs and learn techniques on how to become a more engaging writer, all while completing yearly emotional rehab.

I return home from each of Laura’s trip a little wiser, a little more open, and a lot more compassionate. I greet my family, friends and daily life with sparkly, clean energy and a renewed patience, brought about by way of re-writing old stories that I needed to let go of. I come home ready to move forward in my life.

A retreat with Laura Davis is one of the best gifts I ever received and gave myself. It took many years to realize that I was worth the time and financial investment, but now there is no looking back.

Julie Sheehan, Livermore California

Recent Comments

  • June Radicchi on Finding Joy
  • Mary Latela on Finding Joy
  • Amy Feld on What’s in Front of Me
  • Pennie on What I Can’t Do
  • Susan on The Rooster

Recent Posts

Writing Through the Pandemic: January 26, Number 3

Who I am becoming. You can share your response to this prompt below. ... [Continue Reading]

Other Posts:

  • Writing Through the Pandemic: January 26, Number 2
  • Writing Through the Pandemic: January 26, Number 1
  • Finding Joy

Writing Retreats

Whether you are a beginner, an established writer, a published author, or are looking for a creative vacation with your spouse…I have a retreat for you.

Read more . . .

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2021 Laura Davis